Trigger Points – A Game of Myofascial Hide and Seek
Over the years hundreds of clients have complained of various sensations radiating down their arm, leg, or into some other area of the body. These painful sensations are described as burning, numbness, prickly or tingly, dull ache, area affected feels heavy or weak, stiff, tight, and lets not forget the often quoted “My doctor wants me to visit a neurologist”. Now I admit that it is “better to be safe than sorry” and a visit to the neurologist is not a bad thing. But I am happy to advise the vast majority of these clients suffer from a common problem known as Myofascial Trigger Points or Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The unique aspect of trigger points is their stubborn nature. One minute you feel the pain and the next it seems to disappear. The pain you feel could be there for hours, days, or weeks, and then magically the pain is gone. The fascinating thing about trigger points is that most are not located anywhere close to where your sensation of pain is. So it is up to your therapist to play a little Sherlock Homes to find the origin of the pain. For example the tingling or numbness in your arm or hand could actually have its origin on your back.
There are multiple theories on how trigger points manifest but I won’t bore you with the technicalities. Suffice it to say that the majority of people we see have some level of myofascial tightening with resulting trigger points. So the good news is that dreaded surgery you have feared is probably not needed. A quick visit to a qualified Registered Massage Therapist could be what the doctor ordered…the only thing you have to lose is the pain.
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